We didn't leave the city right away.
That was the first thing that felt different, and it unsettled me more than I expected. In the forest, decisions always carried momentum; once you chose a direction, your body followed without hesitation, as if instinct refused to let you linger long enough to doubt yourself. Here, however, everything seemed to slow just enough to force awareness. Every step, every breath, every glance became deliberate in a way that made it impossible to ignore what I was feeling.
Rowan didn't rush me, and the absence of pressure only made the situation more real.
We walked side by side through the quieter streets, moving away from the crowded areas without needing to discuss it. The city gradually softened around us, the noise fading into a distant hum, and although the change made it easier to think, it did not make anything simpler. If anything, the clarity only highlighted how complicated everything had become.
